How to Choose Best Opioid Addiction Treatment – The Pros and Cons of Methadone and Buprenorphine by Chinazo O Cunningham MD, MS

March 16, 2015

“Over the last decade, opioid use, addiction, and overdose have been dramatically increasing. While much of this increase has been driven by increases in the use of prescription opioids such as Vicodin and Percocet, heroin use also has increased.

Despite this growing threat, treatment for opioid addiction has not substantially increased. In fact, fewer than one in five people who need treatment for their opioid addiction receive it. The reason for this is multifactorial — the number of drug treatment programs that offer medication-assisted treatment has not substantially expanded in size and, outside of drug treatment programs, the number of doctors who provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction has been limited. This unmet need for opioid-addiction treatment is likely to grow in the coming years; therefore, it is important for doctors and patients to be aware of, and choose the proper treatment. This is a need I encounter through my work at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.”